Being a Wednesday, today was a downswing day at PKU. We really have worked hard on the backswing and now it is time to address the downswing. To start the lesson, we did make sure my body was staying ahead of my hands and arms. Then, Patrick would grab my left shoulder and the top of the backswing and hold it low and told me to turn with my right side. It is amazing how efficient this was.
I always thought the club had to come back inside and behind your hip. Instead, keep the left shoulder low and the club drops right onto plane and you can drive under with the right side. Patrick did this with me a handful of times and I started to feel how inefficient my swing used to be. I tried to lift with my left shoulder to create the downswing. Instead, we keep the left shoulder low and just turn.
What is even better is now my footwork and legwork is great. I struggled with my footwork because my left shoulder was flying out and up. Now that it stays down my right foot follows the right side through impact and then goes up onto my toe. I know I will need to resist with the left crease at and after impact but that is a future lesson. For now, I am shocked at how easy the downswing is when you don’t pull with the left shoulder or left side.
It is going to take quite a bit of time to accept that this is the feel but I can definitely feel it in my practice swings with Patrick turning me. Now, I just have to not obsess about this.
Patrick also had Brad King’s Mevo golf flight simulator. I hit my approach wedge 117 yards on it. That was an approach wedge with the flying left shoulder. It will be interesting to see how these numbers change as my left shoulder stays low. My homework is to do 100 turns getting to the top of the backswing and then keeping my left shoulder soft and low through impact.
